Explosive.



UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

GERSHOM mooanrnrnas, or CINCINNATI, AND MILTON FLETCHER LINDSLEY, or

KINGS MILLSgOHIQAS SIGNORS TO'THE KING POWDER COMPANY, 01 CINCINNATI,

OHIO; {A 'conPoaA'rIoN or, OHIO.

No Drawing.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that we, GERsHoM M. Pn'rnns, residlng at Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, and State of0h1o,and MILTON F. Lnsnsnnr,

residing'at Kings Mills,; county of \Varren,

feet to badly shatter the roof and to so pulveriz'e thecoalas to make much of it worthlessowing to the fact that it will not det onate, though quick in ignition;

gas, it seems to keep up its action and hammerthe coal to pieces after it is loosened from the wall. It also emits a great deal of offensive gas and smoke, which are oh- 1 jectionable. It also. causes considerable concussion, often injuring the tops, sides and timbers of the entries. It is usually afiected by moisture, andcannot be used where there is water. But he'chief objection to black powderis the large amount of flame which used of high explosives, is objectionable in" I manyrespec'ts.

it produces, make" it exceedingly dangerous in mines troubled with damp or exploslve D ynamite, the most generally known and It freezes at forty-tirade grees temperature, and when frozen is not explosive nor capable of being detonated, but it must be thawed 'out before using, which is a very troublesome operation, and

also very dangerous. 1 Many serious accidents have resulted from the use of dynamite on this account. In hot weather the nitroglycerin in the dynamite is liable to exude from the absorbent, which causes greatrisk and uncertainty in handling it. If dynamite be not properly made and prop-- erly neutralized, a condition which is very liable to result because of ignorant or careless employees, decomposition is likel to set in, a condition which has fre uent y been the causeof mostfrightful acci ents. Then again, a sudden jolt or jar may set off the Specification of Letters Patent.

Belng. comparatively slow in the development of its nxPLosIvE.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Application filed are 6,1907. fseriai No. 377,488.

best dynamite, often without any cause or explanation. In "iew of these liabilities to accident, transportation and storage of dynamite is becoming more and more a serious question. But aside from the risk attending the handling and use of it, dynamite is objectionable for many kinds of work, as for example, coal mining. The shock caused often damages the roof, sides and timbers. It is too violent and quick in its action, shattering the whole mass at the veryinstant of explosion. It is also found that the concussion caused is often so severe as to stir all the latent gases in the mines and, with the flame occasioned, causes secondary explosions of a serious nature, the coal being shattered to such an extent that it is almost pulverized and is thereby rendered unsalable. In mines and tunnel work the air becomes strongly impregnated with ofi'ensive and poisonous gases, making it impossible or extremely dangerous at times for men to work. In blasting in streets near citiesor placesnear residences it also makes such a report and causes such a concussion of earth and air as not only to be very annoying but is often injurious to buildings located in the vicinity.

The object of our invention is to produce a powder capable of doing the most diflicult work in mining and excavation, and yet ob- -v1ate the ob ections enumerated in the useof black powder or dynamite, -and atthe same time-to produce an explosive safe and convenient to handle vand comparatively in-v expensive to manufacture.

-.A further object of thexinvention is to make a detonating powder rather-than a powder that explodes by burning, in order that it may be safer .to handle and by its instant explosionhave greater power, that is, be in effect what is commonly lmown as a high explosive. I

The preferred formula which has been found to produce the best results consists of the followingingredients in substantially the proportions named: nitrate of ammonia, 30%; nitrate of soda, 30%; chlorate of potassium, 20%; wood meal, 10%; mirbane oil, 10%.

Nitrate of ammonia isemployed not only because it is very rich in gas, but also be cause of the low temperature at which it explodes and because of the moisture of its gas. As a result, it is comparatively flameless and tends to smother out the flame which might be generated by the other ingredients. Nitrate of soda is also Very rich in gas and is similar in its action to nitrate of ammonia, but is somewhat more stable and less expensive. Chlorate of potassium is somewhat less rich in gas than either of the above nitrates,'but is more quick in its action and is sensitive to detonation, for which purpose chiefly it is added. Wood meal or its equivalent'in cellulose fiber, is added to quicken and make more perfect the combustion. It also tends to lighten up the mass and render it more porous, which aids perfect and rapid penetration and combustion.

We use what is commonly known as mirbane oil, sometimes called nitrobenzene ornitrobenzol. We prefer a variety of mirbane oilwhich is well known commercially and which is made from the lower or heavier strata of benzene and hence is less volatile and has more body than those varieties made from the lighter or upper strata of benzene, and this product being of a.m0re oily nature is therefore better adapt- I, ed for the purposes herein described.

Mirbane oil united with chlorate of potassium becomes readily detonative. Mirbane oil is added also for the reason that it serves to reduce the other ingredients (which are dry and pulverized when introduced) to a plastic condition, which makes the composition convenient for handling and packing into cartridges. Being also an oily substance, it renders the'other ingredients less hygroscopic. It also binds together the mass and keeps the other ingredients from sifting out or settling at the bottom according to their relative gravity. It also serves to so being mixed, the mirbane oil is poured in the proportion named. The mass is then thoroughly mixed until the ingredients are thoroughly distributed and the mass becomes homogeneous throughout.

When the powder is thus completed it is packed in paper cases or cartridges, carefully sealed and water proofed, after which it, is ready for the market and for use. \Vhen used a primer is applied and fired as in the case of dynamite.

\Ve claim:

1. An explosivecompound composed of nitrate of ammonia, nitrate of soda, chlorate of potassium, mirbane oil and a carbonaceous material capable of being easily inflan ed, all mixed together into a mass.

2. An explosive compound containing the following ingredients in substantially the proportions indicated: nitrate of ammonia,

thirty per cent. (30%); chlorate of potas-,

sium, twenty per cent. (20%); nitrate of soda, thirty .per cent. (30%); wood meal,

ten per cent. (10%); and mirbane oil, ten per cent. (10%).

3. An explosive compound composed of a thorough 'intermixture of nitrate of ammonia, chlorate of potassium, nitrate of soda, mirbane oil and wood meal.

' 4:. An explosive compound containing the following ingredients thoroughly intermixed and in substantially the proportions indicated: nitrate of ammonia, thirty per cent. (30%); nitrate of soda, thirty per cent. (30%) chlorate of potassium, twenty per cent. (20%) mirbane oil, ten per cent. (10%) cellulose, ten per cent. (10%).

5. An explosive compound consisting of a homogeneous mass of nitrate of ammonia, nitrate of soda, chlorate of potassium, cellulose, and mirbane oil.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses, on this 3d day of June A. D. 1907-.

GERSHOM MOORE PETERS. MILTON FLETCHER LINDSLEY.

Witnesses:

A. M. BEEKLEY, E1) FROHLIGER, EmoN R. JAMES. 

